Dispensing apparatus



May 22, 1923.

, 1,456,366 J. B. DAVIS DI SPENS ING APPARATUS Filed June 20. 1921ATTORNEY Patented May 22, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. DAVIS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GILBERT &BARKER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF WEST SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPO- RATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

DISPENSING APPARATUS.

Application filed .Tune 20, 1921. Serial No. 478,977.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN B. DAvis, citizen ofthe United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden andState of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inDispensing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in power-operated dispensingpumps, such, for example, as those used for the dispensing of asolineand other oils.

The power-operated dispensing pumps, as far as I am aware, move at afixed speed and,

once the ower is applied, the pump piston moves su stantiall uniformlythroughout its stroke or until tlie power is disconnected. Thisarrangement has a disadvantage over hand operation, where the pumppiston may be caused to move as slowly as desired.

Thus, it frequently happens that the purchaser wishes to fill a tank andyet is doubtful wheth r it will hold the entire quantity dispensed atone stroke of the pump. In

such cases, the purchaser naturally watches the tank and, as it becomesnearly filled, instructs the operator of the dispensing pump to pumpslowly and be ready to stop at an instants notice. With thepower-operated pump, as generally provided, the above condition cannotbe met and there danger of overflowing the tank.

This invention has for its object to provide in a power-operateddispensing pump, means for retarding the speed as and when desired.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a braking devicewhich is manually operable when desired to retard and even 4 sto thepump.

ther objects and advantages will appear in the following description andin the illustrative embodiment of the invention in the accompanyingdrawings, in which,-.-

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a dispensing pump,embodying the invention; a

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the speed controllingdevice;

of the pump Fig. 3 is a sectional view thereof, taken on the line 3-3 ofFig. 2; w I

Fig. 4 is a detail view partially in elevation and partially in verticalsection of the control valve; and

Fig. 5 is a view, in vertical section of a portion of the pump cylinder,showing the pump piston.

Referring to these drawings; there has been shown, as an illustrativeexample, one type of power-operated dispensing apparatus to which myinvention may be applied. As shown, such apparatus includes a pumpcylinder 5 mounted between upper and lower header members 6 and 7,respectively. On

opposite sides of cylinder 5, and mounted between the header members 6and 7, are other smaller cylinders 8, to which fluid under pressure maybe admitted. A piston 9 is provided in each cylinder and, from thepistons, piston rods 10 extend upwardly through the header member 6 andare connected together by a cross-head 11. A piston rod 12 for pumpcylinder 5 is connected to. the cross-head 11 intermediate the ends ofthe latter, and descends through the header member 6 into cylinder 5,where it i provided with a suitable piston 5 Each piston rod 10 isguided in a bracket- 13, fixed to header member 6, as shown in Fig. 2,and also has teeth 14 cut in one face thereof, forming a rack. In meshwith each rack, thus formed, is a gear 15, partially housed within thebracket 13. These gears 15 are fixed in longitudinally spaced relationon a shaft 16, mounted in the brackets 13 and having fixed near one enda clutch element 17 and carrying loosely a crank handle 18, having amating clutch element 19. Thus,*by pushing handle 18 inwardly to engagethe clutch elements 17 and 19, the shaft 15 may be rotated by manuallyturning the crank handle, whereby the piston rod 12 may be reciprocated.Normally, however, the elements 17 and 19 are disenga ed, as shown.

The cylinders 8 are connected together near their bases by a pipe 20 andfrom the latter a pipe 21 extends vertically upwardly to .a suitablevalve 22 operable by a suitable lever 23, said valve and lever beingshown in detail in Fig. 4. A pipe 24 leads from the valve 22 to asuitable source of fluid under pressure. The valve 22 is so arranged asto normally connect pip 21 to atmosphere and, with this condition, theweight of parts connected to piston rod 12 is suflicient to cause thelatter to move downwardly! to its lower limit. A depression of lever 23will operate the valve so as to connect pipes 21 and 24, whereby fluidunder pressure will be admitted simultaneously to cylinders 8, therebylifting the racks 10 and piston rod 12 and incidentally rotating shaft16. k

The dispensing apparatus may, as shown,

be encase as by lower, intermediate, and upper casings, 25, 26, and 27,respectively.

The casing 27 may carry a suitably grad' uated scale 28 over Which playsa pointer 29, the latter being fixed to a rod 30 carried by cross-head11.

- The means for controlling the speed of the pump piston rod 12preferably consists of a braking device, one example of whichis shown inFig. 3. The device there shown consists'of a drum 3l suitably fixed toshaft 16 and a brake band 32 with means for applying the latter to theformer. As shown, drum 31 is made in two parts clamped together by bolts33, simply for convenience in applying it to existing pumps. The band32, preferably provided with a suitable lining 34, has loops 35 and 36formed at .its ends and the band is slotted at its ends through theseloops, as indicated at 37 in Fig. 2. The loop 35 slips over a pin 38projecting from bracket 13 and is held from axial movement by a screw39, which passes loosely through pin 38 and through slot 37 and isprovided with an adjusting nut 40. On the lower end of screw .39 is afork 41 in which is pivoted a lever 42. One end of the latter isreceived in the slot in loop 36 and is pivotally connected thereto by avpin 43 passing throu h the loop andlever. On a depression of t e freeend of lever 42, to force band 32 about the drum 31, the pressure onfork 41 is downwardly and consequently it is not necessary to fix screw39 in pin 38.

In operation, the lever 23 'is depressed, whereby the pistons 9 lift thepiston rod 12 at a substantially uniform speed. At the same time shaft16 and drum 31 are set in rotation. In case the operator is instructedto pump slowly, the operator simply depresses lever 42 until thepiston'rod is retarded to the desired degree and, if necessary, thepiston rod may be entirely stopped by the braking device. In any event,the latter permits the operator to control the speed of the piston rodas desired and particularly according to the desire of the purchaser,whereas withsimply the valve 22 it is very diflicult to get the resultdesired. At best, only an approximation of the result can be obtained bya series of stops and starts and the operator does not have completecontrol of the situation at all times, as he does with the brakingdevice.

Various other means may be provided forretarding the speed of the pistonrod and such means may be used with various other stylesof-power-operated pumps without departing from the scope of theinvention.

An example of an alternative means for retarding the speed of the pumpis disclosed in a copending application Ser. No. 513,369 filed Nov. 7,1921.

It is to be understood that the scope of the present invention isdefined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

What I claim is- 1. In combination, a pump, automatic means including arotatable shaft for operating the pump, a controlling device to startand stop the pump, a brake drum on said shaft, a brake shoe for saiddrum, and means for forcing said shoe against said drum to oppose saidautomatic means and retard the speed of operation of said pump.

2. In combination, a reciprocating piston pump, pneumatic means formoving the piston rodthereof, a controlling device for said pneumaticmeans, and braking means operable when desired and independently of saiddevice for retarding the speed of said piston rod when moved by saidpneumatic means.

' 3. In combination, a pump cylinder, apiston rod therefor, a cylinderon each side of the pump cylinder, rack-bar. piston rods for saidsecond-named cylinders, means comprising a valve for admitting to andexhausting from the latter fluid under pressure, a cross-head connectingall said piston rods, a shaft, gears thereon in mesh with the rack-barpiston rods, a brake drum 1 on said shaft, a brake band cooperating withsaid drum, and manually-operable means 7 independent of said valve forapplying said band to the drum when desired.

4. In combination, a reciprocating piston 1 pump, mechanism actuatedbyfluid under pressure for moving the piston rod of the pump in onedirection, and means for retarding the speed of said piston rod, whendesired without reducing the fluid pressure upon said actuatingmechanism.

5. In combination, a reciprocating piston pump, mechanism. actuated byfluid under pressure for moving the piston rod of the pump in onedirection, and manually operable means for applying resistance invarying degrees to said mechanism to retard the speed of said piston rodwithout reducing the fluid pressure upon said actuating mechanism. 1

6. In combination, a pump cylinder, a rods, a brake drum on said shaft,a brake piston rod therefor, a cylinder on each side member cooperatingwith said drum, and 10 of the pump cylinder, rack-bar piston rodsmanually operable means for applying said for said second-namedcylinders, means for member to the drum when desired.

5 admitting to and exhausting from the lat- In testimony whereof I haveaflixed my ter fluid under pressure, a cross-head eonsignature. neetingall of said piston rods, a shaft, gears hereon 1n mesh with the rack-barpiston JOHN B. DAVIS.

